Over 16 million of us are planning to take part in the UK’s first ever national thank you day today, and after the last 18 months we have so many people to say a special thanks too.

The idea of Thank You Day came from a grassroots campaign to hold the country’s biggest ever thank you party in our local communities as a way of thanking each other and of building on the community spirit that so many felt during lock down.

From the idea being launched just a month ago the campaign has won huge support from hundreds of organisations ranging from the NHS to the Scouts and from high profile individuals including Gary Lineker, Michael Sheen, Dame Judi Dench, Raheem Sterling and many more. All events will be in line with current government guidance.

May Parsons, the NHS nurse who gave the first Covid vaccination and who was one of the original proposers of the day said……

“We knew people wanted a chance to get together in a socially distanced and responsible way, so we can all say thank you, and the scale of the public’s response has blown us all away.

“This is going to be an important national moment and we want everyone to join us – safely, and in line with government guidance – in the country’s biggest ever thank you party.” 

Gavin McKenna, founder of Reach Every Generation (a youth work project) and another of the original proposers of the day said….

“Having survived violence, crime, trauma and growing up in women’s refuges, now I am married with three gorgeous children – so I have a lot to be thankful for. Thank You Day provides a great opportunity to express gratitude, which is especially important with everything we’ve all been through. The NHS staff and frontline workers have been incredible but there’s been so much work on a grassroots level that didn’t get clapped for. On thank you day I want to thank that one person who was doing shopping for their neighbour and no one else knows about and the young people for being so resilient and cooperative in such hard times.”

We are all being encouraged to mark the days in numerous different ways from picnics to BBQs, outdoor parties to drinks , while of course sticking to Covid guidelines.

 Organisations are also putting on events through-out the day including:

• 9:00: Join in an hour’s exercise across our country’s parks and green spaces.
• 11:00: Power Hour – Keep Britain Tidy, the RSPB and Rotary are organising an hour’s tidy up of parks and green spaces
• 13:00: The Big Lunch are organising small street parties and picnics to get neighbours together.
• 17:00: Cheers for volunteers, led by Ross Kemp and the Royal Voluntary Service is encouraging people to raise a glass or a cuppa with their neighbours, the initiative is backed by thousands of pubs across the country.
• 19:00: The country’s biggest ever BBQ with neighbours, led by Levi Roots, the Scouts and the National Citizens Service.

There’s also a further element of the day. At 3pm this afternoon – led by Together with Music – individuals, choirs, bands and music groups, are invited to get together and sing or play Christine McVie’s (Fleetwood Mac) classic “Don’t Stop”.

Hundreds of community choirs and schools plan to sing together outside care homes and hospitals to thank residents, patients and staff for everything they have given over the past year.

Simon Cowell told us……

“‘Don’t Stop’ is a great song choice for the Thank You Day and I hope everyone has a fantastic day. This day obviously is about saying thank you, and on a personal note, I would like to say thank you to all of the healthcare workers for an incredible job.”

Ross Kemp who has joined Royal Voluntary Service to support ‘Cheers for Volunteers’ at 5pm, said…..

“I’m going to be taking part in Cheers for Volunteers in my local that weekend. We’ve all been through a grim 18-months but our community spirit is one of the things that has kept us going. I’m going to raise a glass to everyone who has helped our communities get this far.”

Over 3,000 pubs and breweries have already pledged to serve a Cheers for Volunteers at locals across the UK and the campaign is supported by the British Beer and Pub Association and the Society of British Breweries. Locals are being asked to sign up HERE to receive pump clips, posters and more and the campaign will be asking people to nominate their local pub or brewery to get involved.

TV personality and Big Lunch ambassador Ainsley Harriott told us…….

“We couldn’t have got through this past year without each other so let’s not forget that as we start to venture back out into the world again.  It is so important that we take a moment to thank one another.   That’s why I’m encouraging communities to join in the first ever National Thank You Day on July 4.  It’s a chance to celebrate the support that got us through the last year, and that continues to help us as we ease out of lockdown.  We all have different people to thank, from family members to key workers, good neighbours and volunteers . So please join us with your friends, neighbours and communities in building the country’s first ever national thank you celebration and let’s have a socially-safe Big Lunch to say thank you together.”

Levi Roots who together with the Scouts and the National Citizens service is the driving force behind what he hopes will be the country’s biggest ever BBQ told us……

“This BB-Thank-Q is a chance to reconnect with our friends, neighbours and community over hot coals and gorgeous food. What better way to say thank you to each other than to share some of your best recipes?”  

Chris Packham is one of those supporting the Power Hour litter pick…….

“Today we’ll all be saying thank you to those who have helped us through the last year. I hope we’ll also take just an hour in the day to say thank you to our parks and green spaces that helped keep us calm and fit during lock down.”

Julia Bradbury, a Keep Britain Tidy ambassador said………

“Since Covid hit, our local communities have become more important than ever. We have relied on our parks and green spaces for so much: They’ve been places to escape to, to exercise in and to take a break from the daily round of virtual meetings.  The kids have run off steam in our treasured parks and they’ve become our escape when we need somewhere to simply sit quietly. As part of national thank you day we’re asking the country to join forces at 11am for an hour at the start of the day, to clean up our green spaces and parks as a way of saying thank you to them and to our local communities.”

The day has huge backing from the sporting world including the Football Association, Wimbledon, the English Cricket Board and Rugby League and Union.

Harry Kane, England Captain told us…….

“As a squad we have a big summer ahead but we wanted to be part of saying thank you to everyone who has got us through the past 18 months. We all have people to be grateful for and the national ‘Thank You Day’ is a moment we’re proud to be a part of. Whoever you’re thanking, join your neighbours and communities and say thank you together.”

School children are joining in the day by filling in a huge national thank you card designed by author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy. The card will be unveiled at Wimbledon Tennis Championships on the morning of the opening day and afterwards will be on display at the People’s History Museum in Manchester.

Virgin Media O2 are supporting 500 local groups to take part in the day as part of a £500,000 Together Fund created to supercharge charities who are championing the community spirit we’ve experienced throughout the pandemic.

It’s not too late to join in, if you’d like more information go to THANK YOU DAY.